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Agriculture vocabulary · Soil and Land Management

Tillage

Meaning in agriculture, with examples

/ˈtɪlɪdʒ/nounCommon term

In agriculture, tillage means: The preparation of soil for growing crops by mechanical work such as plowing, harrowing or cultivating.

In Turkish: toprak işleme

How it is used

Agronomists distinguish primary tillage (plowing) from secondary tillage (harrowing, seedbed preparation) and compare conventional, reduced and no-till systems. The verb is 'till' ('till the soil'), which sounds slightly literary.

Example sentences

  1. Reduced tillage saved us about 30 percent in diesel costs.

  2. Too much tillage breaks down soil structure and causes crusting.

Common collocations

  • conventional tillage
  • reduced tillage
  • primary tillage
  • tillage equipment
  • conservation tillage
  • plowA farm implement pulled by a tractor that cuts and turns over the top layer of soil to bury residues and weeds and prepare land for sowing.
  • no-till farmingA system in which crops are sown directly into the remains of the previous crop without plowing or other soil cultivation.
  • soil erosionThe loss of the top layer of soil when it is carried away by water or wind, often made worse by bare ground, slopes and heavy tillage.
  • topsoilThe upper layer of soil, usually a few tens of centimeters deep, which is darker and richer in organic matter, roots and soil life than the layers below.
  • implementA piece of farm equipment, such as a plow, harrow, seed drill or mower, that is attached to and pulled or powered by a tractor.

More terms: Soil and Land Management

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